(Page 3 of 4)

Likewise, while Simpson's and Robert Blake's lawyers were invited to her book party, she wouldn't invite Simpson or Blake, both of whom were acquitted of murder but found responsible for the death of their spouses in civil trials.

In the end, lawyers and judges are some of Edwards' biggest fans. After defending the likes of Scott Peterson, Michael Jackson and Winona Ryder, Geragos has a collection of courtroom art in his office on what he calls his "ego wall."

In those lighter moments, Edwards deftly recalls how some lawyers try to twist the truth by asking her to draw them to look thinner, younger and frequently, "with more hair."

"No can do," she says.

But her book does offer some amazing recollections. Here are a few:

1. Peekaboo With Michael Jackson: Edwards' first courtroom meeting with Jackson — when he and his brothers were sued over the 1994 "Jackson Family Honors" TV special — set the tone for all future meetings with the King of Pop:

"If his appearance wasn't jarring enough, his antics crossed the line into surreal. On the witness stand he giggled at us, waved, and at one point, he covered his face in such a way that I swear he was playing peekaboo."

But from this animated adventure, Jackson reverted into "the stillest person" the artist ever observed, when he sat at the defense table last year for his child molestation trial.

"He could be an extraterrestrial. … His skin, so pale, appears to be peeling in places and he never wiped his face or wiped his eyes; he only dabbed them like a genteel lady conscious of smearing her eye makeup.

"His hair does not look real to me, and his habit of pushing it back from his face, carefully, with two hands — never smoothing it — contributed to that impression. That, and it would be different lengths on different days of the week."

2. Fashion Advice for Winona Ryder: Edwards believes she played a small role as an unofficial fashion adviser in 2002, when Winona Ryder faced shoplifting charges for leaving Saks Fifth Avenue with $5,000 in unpaid designer clothing.

"As a former fashion illustrator, the case was a dream for me, as it involved high fashion. I eagerly covered Ryder's couture looks, a new one every day. On her first day in court, the pixielike woman was dressed in a hot pink sweater and floral skirt — more suited for a picnic than a grand theft trial.